NVMe SSD designed for audiophiles

[Smaragdhk]

I’m trying out Euphony on a 10i7 NUC powered by a 19V 8A LPS… got an internal Samsung EVO 970 plus M.2 SSD and was considering to order an Optane 32GB ( or the apparently better sounding 16GB version?) to replace the 970 plus but after reading this I wonder if I should hold off and try the 970 plus first… got about 20 days of trial left… any else can comment on the 970 plus sound quality?

[Smaragdhk]

Thanks @davide256, can you share where one might find these FEMTO drives? 

 

EDIT: never mind, found your post where you’re reviewing it… would love to test this in my setup…

[Smaragdhk]

Any suggestions on which LPS that matches the FEMTO drive best?

Its recommended power is 5V 2.5A …

[Smaragdhk]

Allow me to post some initial findings after finally being able to install Darkforce’s FEMTO M.2 drive courtesy of his beta trial. Since I’m using a fan-less HDplex case there was not enough clearance to mount the drive directly on the NUC10i7’s motherboard.

I received a riser/ extender yesterday allowing to relocate the FEMTO M.2 drive.

Reinstalling Euphony was a breeze and in. In no time I was ready to play music again.

I’ve decided to run in the drive for a few days powered by the motherboard first (my NUC is already powered by a Keces P8 LPS) before changing the power supply setting and taking the 5V from an additional LPS.

The FEMTO M.2 replaces an Optane M.2 which already sounded much better than the Samsung 970 EVO used before.

I barely have 24 hours of running time, too little to comment frankly but so far and I already hear a more relaxed analogue like sound with better controlled bass… micro details are still a bit rolled off but my experience is that after 100 hrs this will improve and sound will open up further… very impressed so far and can’t wait to get to 150 or so hours where I will decide if the time is right to power the FEMTO M.2 drive from the external 

LPS… this should be another major step up… stay tuned.

[Smaragdhk]

On 5/14/2021 at 11:05 PM, davide256 said:

@kelvinwsy do give Euphony a whirl with buffer track to RAM options disabled, cache to drive enabled, paying attention in particular to treble. Was having some resonance like

problems with treble on "Ready Player One " 96/24 soundtrack that this helped, will be trying other recordings today with lots of treble energy.

I have buffer track to RAM disabled but how does one enable cache to drive?

[Smaragdhk]

I have now more than 200 hrs of running in the Femto M.2 drive powered by a Keces P3 LPS. As per recommendation from @darkforce and after trying various LPS I have to agree with him that the P3 has the nicest sound so far. I wanted to share my experience with installing this Femto M.2 SSD drive in my 10i7NUC. From the photos below it will become clear that there wasn’t enough clearance to install the Femto M.2 drive directly into the motherboard of the NUC since it sits upside down in the HDPlex fanless case. Reason being that the NUC’s processor faces up so that the cooling heat sink diverts the heat towards the sides of the case.

The P3 is also still running in as we speak and it's using the standard fuse so I may upgrade that later too... I had to use an M.2 extender since there wasn't enough clearance to use the motherboard's M.2 slot on the NUC which faces down in the HDPlex case.

 

 

 

 

Using an ADT-Link branded M.2 extender moved the Femto M.2 drive further away from the motherboard so in a way it has less interference from anything on the motherboard.

 

 

 

 

Femto M.2 drive mounted with isolating double sided tape onto the riser, enough clearance for the power DC connector and in this position away from the heatsink. Note the angled Oyaide connector to supply 5V from the Keces P3.

 

 

 

From left to right : IEC power cable for Keces P3, Mad Scientist Audio USB to USB-B (connecting USB from the NUC to my Marantz SA KI-Ruby SACD / DAC streamer, DIY Viablue + Telegartner Cat 8, AudioQuest Pearl 48 HDMI

 

 

 

 

I very much like what I hear! Swapping from mobo power to external LPS is indeed a major step up. Even quieter background and the biggest difference is a big increase in dynamics, more body, better controlled (tighter) bass, and more air around individual instruments and vocals with better detail again. I thought my system running Euphony's Stylus was very good already but I'm hearing new things I haven't heard in very familiar recordings, with an even wider sound stage.

I will be very difficult to go back to using the other drives now that I have been "poisoned" by this very sweet and nice sound...

 

I use an additional 2 Keces P8 LPS as well to power my Synology NAS, Linger Audio switch and 10i7 NUC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I use Euphony V3.20210716 without Ramroot, cashing to M.2 system drive enabled.

Streaming music from Qobuz, Tidal and from my Synology NAS.

 

[Smaragdhk]

As discussed with @darkforce in PM this week, users testing this Femto drive (does it have an official name yet?) don't let yourself be discouraged when hearing some less wanted characteristics... the sound to me keeps evolving continuously. After about 250 hours I suddenly started noticing some roll of in the high frequencies... as if the sibilants became a "lisp" in duller recordings and as if a veil floated in the soundstage... I checked what could have caused this but couldn't find any reasons... perhaps I tweaked too much in the Euphony expert settings, such as CPU isolation and max CPU frequency etc. I reset back to default settings, tried Ramroot enabled... got a bit more perceived detail but at the expense of a congested bloated bass and reduced dynamics, oddly enough. So I removed the Ramroot, rebooted a couple of times and set the max CPU frequency back to 1.1GHz (instead of the the default 4.7GHz) and let the system run repeated albums 24hrs a day in the background. And after 350 hours of running I can report back that I'm again hearing that intoxicating detailed, relaxed but dynamic and powerful sound. As if the performers are playing in my listening space... Wondering what will be next :)

[Smaragdhk]

On 11/11/2021 at 2:26 AM, Exocer said:

Will report back on if the difference between this wire and the NeoTech are worthwhile here (YMMV of course).

Can you share a photos of this cable and some details on the model number?

NeoTech seems tonnage different iterations of the UP-OCC.

[Smaragdhk]

Thanks, no worries, can you share a link to the actual raw cable on the NeoTech website?

and what exactly is the JSSG360 treatment you’re referring to?

[Smaragdhk]

Never mind , thanks,  found the JSSG stands for a shielding technique…  has anyone else tried the NeoTech solid core be the non solid core version? Would love to hear other feedback as well. It looks like Ghent sells these cables online as well.

[Smaragdhk]

I have only tested this Revelation Audio SSD with Euphony loaded on it...

I did have Audiolinux with Ramroot using the Samsung EVO SSD but found ramroot sounding too congested, with lack of air and sparkle, collapsed sound stage.

OS wise I went from Roon Rock -> Audiolinux -> Euphony.

 

The whole idea of this Revelation Audio SSD is to be able to power it from a decent linear power supply instead of the NUC (in my case) motherboard ...

I stopped looking for other audiolinux based OS after running Euphony without ramroot and powered by a Keces P3. You can read my review earlier in this thread with my listening experience.

 

Enjoy the year end holidays everyone, looking forward to many happy listening moments!

[Smaragdhk]

Best to use the SSD just for the OS… then stream your library from a NAS and online streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal.

[Smaragdhk]

Now that your processor is running at its optimal temperature, next thing to further tweak is to play around with the min and max CPU frequencies.

YMMV

 

enjoy!

[Smaragdhk]

1 hour ago, MarcelNL said:

Not sure for who this message is, I have played with CPU freq in Daphile previously and for now it stays at full speed.

Meant for you and anyone interested in experimenting…. Agreed that running at full speed even in Euphony yields the best results… but have you tried playing around with core isolation? Not sure if that is supported in Daphile… 

 

[Smaragdhk]

3 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

So I now upgraded to femto NVME from an Audiophonics low noise LPSU to an Allo Shanti, due to a an upgrade in Switch and FSP (Finisar 1475BTL) and the new switch needs 12V.....the difference is not trivial, not a MAJOR step but it is a clear improvement.

 

The combo is a sure winner (the new FSP and the Shanto on the femto NVME)! 

 

Could you elaborate on which switch you have upgraded? I'm currently using a Linger Audio TCXO 5 port switch and looking for the next step...

[Smaragdhk]

They clearly don’t understand the concept of this SSD drive. The whole point is to be able to power to drive of a clean LPS instead of the motherboard. The difference between MB and LPS is clearly audible and provides an audible positive improvement when using a decent linear power supply.  It’s very easily to test as well. Flip the dip switch between internal MB and external LPS and let your ears decide which sounds better.

[Smaragdhk]

12 hours ago, damian101 said:My conclusion: Unless your previous drive was particularly noisy, any perceived auditory differences between this SSD and your previous drive are completely imaginary. That is especially true for switching between MB power and dedicated power supply for this SSD, which, in case of using a dedicated DAC with dedicated power supply, can not even make a difference in theory.
You and many others in this thread have fallen victim to the placebo effect.

In my 30 or so years as an audio engineer I’m perfectly familiar with the term “placebo”. We audio engineers all know the “magic fader” on the mixer that doesn’t do anything else but convince the producers that the audio mix sounds better with that fader up at it’s magical setting… technically nothing changed… all imaginary :)

 

I do - for the record - not very easily “fall victim” to the placebo effect with audio products.

I was offered to beta test this “audio grade” SSD drive for honest feedback with the option to return it, no questions asked. So I embarked on this beta with an open mind putting all technical stereotypes such as the <ones are ones and zeros are zeros>. Yes, I have an Ethernet switch in my system that has an updated OCXO clock and is powered by a linear power supply because it makes and audible difference endorsed and confirmed by friends and relatives… in my system setup. 
This beta test involved “running in” the equipment pieces for several hundred of hours. (Burning in … Another sensitive topic that not everyone believes in… )

I’ve done many swaps of components and power supplies during tests that included blind testing with my son and with friends. Some considering themselves audiophiles and others that are not well versed in audio terminology at all, which includes even my wife. The only thing they all have in common is a genuine passion for music. We all came to the same conclusion after these tests that the Revelation Audio SSD clearly has an advantage in my setup. So I purchased it from @darkforce without any regret. There is no way I’m going back to the standard NVME drives Inhad before.

 

YMMV with your setup, but do yourself a favour, request a sample from @darkforce and do the test yourself before commenting further… if it doesn’t add value to your system, then fine, I will respect your opinion but stating that we are victims of placebo effect sounds a bit condescending. Peace and enjoy your music all 😉

[Smaragdhk]

7 minutes ago, Patatorz said:

This is Groundhog Day 😀 Stop feeding the troll.

Trolls will be trolls … I’m enjoying my music no matter what ☺️

[Smaragdhk]

@Carlosoptico, you should really try to power those Revelation Audio Femto SSD with a linear power supply… instead of the motherboard… you will be surprised at the difference, it really takes the sound to the next level…

[Smaragdhk]

1 hour ago, Savolax said:

So JCAT Officially released their SSD drive

 

https://jcat.eu/product/m-2-femto-ssd/

 

Looks a lot like the SSD in the topic. Did I miss out on something or is it the same product?

I have a déjà vu experience… ☺️

[Smaragdhk]

On 11/28/2023 at 7:26 PM, chrisc said:

After skimming through this topic, are these M.2 drives being sold?

 

https://jcat.eu/product/m-2-femto-ssd/